FirstStep

FirstStep Street Outreach offers life saving alternatives to unsheltered homeless men and women who are affected by substance abuse, mental illness and medical complications associated with life on the streets. FirstStep staff engage homeless people where they are and build trusting relationships. The goal is to promote human dignity and connect people with the services they need and save a life today, so that recovery is possible tomorrow.

Through a combination of foot teams and mobile teams in vans, staff travel to known Cambridge and Somerville (and other local communities’) homeless hangouts — business districts, subway stations, parks, meal programs, drop-in centers and building doorways — seeking homeless men and women who may need help. The staff offer unsheltered individuals access to emergency medical and psychiatric care, meal programs, shelters, substance abuse treatment, and daytime drop-in and social service centers.

FirstStep staff respond to calls from members of the public, business owners, hospitals, and the police when these community members encounter homeless individuals who appear to be in need of assistance. Street outreach plays a critical role in ensuring the safety of the community and providing less expensive alternatives to police stations and hospitals.